8 On Your Side: A Closer Look At 'Restraint'
Fri Feb 24, 2006, 4:15 PM ET
The use of physical restraint in juvenile
treatment facilities is a hot-button issue right now.
The state has issued a new directive about its
use in such facilities. It was dated just days before the death of a
teen who was restrained at SummitQuest Academy in Ephrata. News 8 On
Your Side reporter Susan Shapiro looked into the story and the issue
of restraint.
A Dangerous Practice?
Giovanni Aletriz, 16, was sent to SummitQuest
Academy in Ephrata for treatment of behavioral problems. But Aletriz,
known as Joey, never got to leave the facility. The 6-foot-1,
260-pound teen died Feb. 4 at Ephrata Hospital after being
restrained facedown by two SummitQuest counselor aids for being
disruptive.
His mother, Cynthia Allen, got the devastating
news over the phone.
"(They said) 'Miss Allen, we had to restrain
your son, and in the middle of the restraint, (he) went into cardiac
arrest," Allen said. "If they had to restrain him, they should have
done it properly."
In Florida, a 14-year-old boy died after being
restrained for being uncooperative. The medical examiner ruled he
died of a medical disorder.
Psychiatric nursing professor Wanda Mohr is a
national expert on the use of restraint with a published article and
books on the subject.
"I come from the proposition that every
restraint is a treatment failure," said Mohr. "They're deadly, and
frankly, they don't work because if you look at the patterns, people
are being restrained over and over again."
Mohr said most of the deaths are a result of
asphyxiation and the scenario is much the same.
"Patient goes limp. Staff assumes patient is
compliant. Wait a couple of minutes. Release restraint. Patient
doesn't get up. Flip patient over. Notice he's blue," Mohr said.
DISCUSSION: Tell Us What You Think About This
Story And The Issue Of Restraint
Residential treatment facilities in
Pennsylvania are only required to report restraints that result in
death or injuries that require medical attention.
In 2005, there was one death and 31 injuries
reported in 83 facilities. The state is well aware of the dangers of
restraint.
Just days before Aletriz's death, the
Department of Public Welfare issued a "transmittal" on the
elimination of unnecessary restraint of juveniles.
"It is an initiative that is embarking on as we
speak," DPW Deputy Secretary Joan Erney said of the transmittal.
Erney said that under the directive, restraint
should only occur as a last resort, and never in a prone position.
"If a restraint is done properly, under very
unique circumstances, a death should not occur," Erney said. "It is
unconscionable we have a death in Pennsylvania."
In 1997, the DPW initiated a reduction of
restraint at state hospitals including Harrisburg Hospital, which
was operating then. By 2002 there was a 90 percent reduction of
restraint.
State officials are confident they can achieve
the same results at juvenile facilities across the state, but it
will take additional training and a change in the culture.
It's too late for Aletriz, but the initiative
might save another life.
"He was love. I miss him so much," his mother
said.
The Lancaster County district attorney, Ephrata
police and DPW are investigating Aletriz's death.
SummitQuest has said it only uses restraint
when a patient may cause harm to himself or others.
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